CU Police warn of ‘work from home’ scammers defrauding CU students

The University of Colorado Police Department has received multiple reports of e-mail scams targeting CU students. If an online “employer” promises a pre-paid salary in the form of a high-dollar check, but then asks you to send a money order back for the balance, it is a scam!

In a case from earlier this month, a student received an e-mail offering her a part-time work-from-home job. She received two checks from her “employer” that totaled $6,640. The student was instructed to deposit the checks into her personal account and then forward money orders (using her own funds) to an address in California for a total amount of $5,960. The “employer’s” checks did not clear, but the victim’s money orders went through – leading to a loss of $5,960.

In another recent example, a student received a similar job advertisement via e-mail, promising $300 for just five hours of “business consultancy services” work per week. When the student received a $2,900 check and was asked to send back $2,600, she became suspicious and contacted CU Police.

CU Police and The Internet Crime Complaint Center offer the following tips: